Canon EOS-1D X overview

The Canon EOS-1D X is the latest in the company's professional range of DSLRs. Its job is to replace both the sports-orientated 1D series and the high-resolution, studio-focused 1DS range of cameras. As is usual for upgrades in this class of camera, the changes are incremental and subtle but aim to raise the bar of what is possible.

The biggest specification change to the 1D X is its new sensor - an 18MP full-frame CMOS chip capable of shooting at 12 frames per second. This represents a big change over the 1D Mk IV (it represents a move away from the smaller APS-H format that Canon has previously used in its sports cameras), and a decrease in pixel count compared to the 1DS series. However, as Rick Berk, Technical Specialist in Canon USA's Pro Engineering and Solutions Division says: 'there's more to image quality than just resolution.'

The move from APS-H up to full-frame is enabled by a sensor with faster data readout explains Chuck Westfall, Technical Advisor in Canon USA's Pro Engineering and Solutions Division: 'The new sensor has 16-channel, dual line readout, compared to 8-channel, single line designs in the previous generation of chips.' This lets the company offer a large sensor (and the low-light capability that brings) for 1DS users, with the fast capture speeds that current 1D Mk IV users need. 'It's clear the time has come for the 1DX to replace the whole 1D series,' says Westfall.

Under the skin, the big change is the more sophisticated metering sensor. A move from the 1D Mk IV's sensor to a new 100,000 pixel unit affords the camera a much better understanding of the scene and this information is fed into the camera's autofocus system to improve the quality of its AF tracking. This isn't a new idea (Nikon's sports cameras have done something similar for several generations), but it's a sensible way of improving what's already an impressive system.

Autofocus changes

The other big change to autofocus is simpler configuration. The 1D X does away with the complex inter-related network of custom settings that defined AF behavior in previous models, instead offering six presets for different shooting situations (see table below). Each of these can be adjusted for 'Tracking sensitivity' (which defines how doggedly the camera attempts to stick with the originally chosen target or whether it will re-focus on nearer subjects if they cross in front of the target), 'Acceleration/Deceleration tracking' and AF point auto selection (how readily the camera should move off the selected AF point).

Westfall acknowledges the complexity of the previous systems could prevent users getting the most out of previous cameras: 'A common response to the 1D III and 1D IV was that people loved the idea of a high spec AF system but they wanted an easier way of get the most out of it. The improvements from the 1D III to the 1D IV were substantial but also incremental - to make a bigger step forward this time we needed to start from scratch.'

Canon EOS-1D X AF mode presets, defined by subject behavior:

1. Versatile multi purpose

4. Subjects that accelerate or decelerate quickly

2. Continue shooting, ignore obstructions

5. Erratic Subject Movement

3. Instantly refocus suddenly with obstructions

6. Subjects that change speed and move erratically

In addition to making the system more accessible, the 1D X has the first entirely new AF arrangement since the launch of the (film-era) EOS 3 in 1998. The new 61-point AF sensor has 21 cross type AF points at the center, which are sensitive enough to be used with lenses with maximum apertures as slow as F5.6. The central five of those points also have diagonal AF elements that are active with F2.8-and-faster lenses. All other AF points are sensitive to horizontal detail with lenses faster than F5.6, while 20 of these (in two flanks towards the outer edges of the sensor), act as cross-type points with F4 maximum aperture lenses or faster.

As with the EOS 7D, the AF point selection can be narrowed-down to a series of sub-sets of local AF points. It's also possible to adjust what factors are considered during AF tracking: AF info only, AF and color information or AF and face detection information.

Getting a sense for the sensor

When asked to for the biggest improvement in the new camera, Westfall stresses that every aspect of the camera has been re-assessed but finally concludes: 'If you had to highlight just one thing, I'd say the sensor. It's a new level for us in terms of image quality.'

'There's a couple of things that we consider when we think about IQ: number one on this sensor is noise. It's clear the noise level is better than in the 1D Mk IV or the 1DS III. The pixel size is larger than in the 1DS III or 5D Mark II (6.95 microns, versus 6.4) and the difference is even more striking compared to the 5.7 micron pixels in the 1D Mark IV. That helps us in terms of light capturing ability and increases the signal to noise ratio. In turn, that does nothing but help the dynamic range of the camera.'

And its this improvement in image quality that Westfall believes will make the 1D X appeal to 1DS as well as 1D users. 'I think the factor that's going to make that a reality is the noise level is better than anything we've seen before. With cleaner images, people are going to feel much more comfortable up-rezing an image. Not many people need a 21MP file to begin with, so they're going to love the IQ of this camera and the quality's good enough that those people who do need those huge files will find the images clean enough to use them.'

Changes to the body

The body of the 1D X closely resembles previous 1D cameras, but close examination reveals a series of changes. The most significant is perhaps the addition of a second joystick on the rear of the camera, to ensure all functions remain available when using the portrait orientation grip. The camera also features twin buttons next to the lens, in either orientation. These are customizable, allowing you to access features such as the electronic level gauge or jump to registered AF point.

Beyond this, the camera gains a direct live view button, a 'Q' button to jump to the 'Quick' function menu, and has had its flash exposure lock button re-dedicated as a customizable function button.

Processing power

As you'd expect, the camera's processing has received a considerable refresh, Westfall explains: 'You've got dual Digic 5+ processors, which our engineers are telling us are 17x faster than the Digic 4s used in the existing models.' In addition, the metering sensor, given its added complexity and the need to interpret its output to feed into the AF system, gets its own Digic 4 processor.

This processing power allows the camera to conduct a wider range of lens corrections. In addition to the vignetting correction that could be conducted by the 1D Mark IV, lens profiles can be uploaded using EOS utility and the camera will correct for geometric distortion and chromatic aberration (both lateral and axial) in real-time. These corrections are all optional and can be engaged separately.

Another benefit of more processing power, combined with an improved sensor is an expansion of ISO range, says Westfall: 'The ISO range on this camera, just the standard range, goes from 12,800 on the 1D Mark IV and 1600 on the 1DS Mark III, up to 51,200. And this can be expanded up to 204,800 - that's going to be an enabler of all sorts of new possibilities for a lot of people.'

The final processing option is the ability to shoot multiple exposure images. Four combination methods are available, which can be used to create composite images either from consecutive shots or from an existing Raw file and an additional exposure.

All about speed

The faster sensor and greater processing power are combined with a new carbon fibre shutter and revised mirror mechanism to allow 12 frame per second continuous shooting. The camera can shoot at 14fps if you're happy to lock the mirror up (and hence lock focus), and capture only JPEG images. The shutter has a rated lifespan of 400,000 cycles (a 30% improvement on before, despite the additional demands of the faster continuous shooting). The company also says it should be more accurate at high shutter speeds. It also offers an X-sync speed up to 1/250th of a second.

At first, the move from 10 to 12 frames per second doesn't sound terribly impressive - until you remember that the camera is now based around a larger sensor, so there's a much bigger mirror to move. Westfall is keen to stress this: 'The high-speed rate is greatly improved. Our full-frame cameras up until now have only been able to offer up to five frames per second, whereas this can shoot at 12fps, or 14 if you're willing to shoot JPEG. The 1D X means you can have full-frame quality and high speed.'

The EOS-1D X gains twin customizable buttons next to its lens mount - one set for each orientation

In the frame to be flagship

Of course it's no longer enough for a camera at this level to just be able to shoot stills, and the EOS-1D X is Canon's most capable movie shooter yet. Although the headline spec (1080p at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second), isn't exactly groundbreaking, it's clear that Canon has had movie shooters in mind.

The 1D X offers two compression options, including 'All-I,' a very low compression format that offers high image quality and editability but at the cost of immense files (a 16Gb card will hold around 6 minutes of footage). The alternative is a more standard IPB compression that takes up around 1/12th of the space. To prevent these large files limiting the camera, the 1D X is the first Canon to be able to split a single piece of footage into multiple files, overcoming the 4Gb limit of the card file system, and allowing videos of up to 29 minutes, 59 seconds to be recorded.

In addition the camera can keep track of how long it has been recording, using standard timecoding methods. There's also greater-than-ever control over the microphone input volume, with 64 manually selectable levels, auto and a wind-cut filter. It's also possible to mute sound recording while shooting.

Westfall believes the 1D X has the features that pro shooters will want: 'I think people are looking for a balance between cost and performance - the cameras offering 60P at the kind of bit rates that we can offer tend to be in a higher price bracket. And we can offer 720p at 60 frames per second,' he says.

'People we're dealing with are tending towards using 24 - to match the filmic look. There are cameras offering 60P in the consumer market but they haven't got the bit rate we're offereing. Many of them are limited to less than 30mbps while we're bumping up against 50. This is a clear difference - we think this product keeps moving the ball forward. With this product the focus was improving the compression. The other thing people were requesting was the ability to shoot longer clips and on this model we can shoot for up to nearly 30 minutes.'

'Within this range of products we offer, this is going to assume the flagship postition,' he says: 'It will be the most desirable product for people wanting movie shooting in a DSLR.'

Any other business

Beyond the big changes is a move to twin CF cards. As before these can either be set to duplicate images onto both cards or overflow from one to the next. You don't have the option of separately storing movies and stills, however. The upgrades to the camera also extend to a revised dust-reduction system for the sensor. The wave-motion of the shake system is being called 2nd generation dust prevention by Canon.

Another change to the 1D X's storage is the addition of an Ethernet 1000 Base-T network port. This allows faster transfer speeds and the use of longer cables (the limit is 100m, rather than around 3.5m for USB).

The final significant change is another gain from the EOS 7D - an electronic overlay on the viewfinder, allowing AF points and the level gauge to be shown in the viewfinder. Other than that, the camera retains essentially the same viewfinder specs as the 1DS Mark III - a huge 0.76x, 100% coverage pentaprism that 1DS users will be familiar with and 1D series owners will really appreciate after years of using cropped APS-H finders.

at first canon introduce AF adjustment setting to get away their poor AF, now they have AF mode presets, does that mean they still get poor AF, and need the user to decide which mode is good?

I just know one thing, if the camera have great AF system, like the D3,D700 and D300 you really don't need to touch any setting, I don't need to use AF adjustment, and I stil have great spot on results from racing cars, latin dance, kids running to me.

from all my photo friends and my own experience, the best AF canon SLR are still eos 1, eos 1n and 1dm1

I have the 1dmk2n and the 1dmk4. I found the Mk2n reliable but the Mk4 has big problems with focus using zoom lenses. Zoom-in,focus is fine, but zoom-out and it front focuses.This happens on all my zoom lenses and two Mk4 bodies. I sent bodies and lenses at the same time to Canon Irvine for repair and it's still the same. I worry that the 1d-X could be the same way if they are holding the Megapixels at 18, then it won't be too obvious. Low light will also cause front focusing too. AF micro adjustments don’t solve this problem.

Second issue is you can’t use Eye-Fi cards with the removal of the SD card slot. Canon's expensive wireless transmitter device (around $750) is horrible and techs are not helpful at 800-OK-Canon. I got an Eye-Fi SD card and was up and running in 5 minutes. It cost about $150 for the most expensive card. I set up the Eye-Fi i to wirelessly send small jpeg preview images to the iPad and iPhone. Eye-Fi does not make a CF version and SD-CF adapters don't work.

I'd take lower resolution sensor with better low light performance over high resolution sensor witih mediocre low light performance any day (although Nikon gives us both options in the D3S and D3X). I wonder what would Nikon come up with to top this?

Nikon sort-of counts... 16-18 MP is the ideal size for most uses and the D3 had 12 which was slightly underwhelming. Now, don't get me wrong, I shoot a 12MP D700 and my complaints about it have nothing to do with his resolution but the D3 flagship could have been a 16MP maybe at a time where the 1DsMK2 was already there for a few years... hence the "slightly underwhelming" feeling

Hello Everybody!I'm a HIG ISO ADDICTED because I love low light situations.I've read that Canon has developed "PIXEL FUSION" tecnology.It merge a 3x3 sensor's pixel to work like one to improve ISO quality. It will be equipped on small sensors and mirrorless camera.

Does someone know if it will be available on 1D-X??

I don't care if it could reduce the amount of MP if it make me bring home pictures and videos when I should not without that tecnology or without a 1600$ lens.I have to add that i love low light portrait using hard macro.

OK I get your point.I Believe the 1Dx would surpass the D3s. I won't be surprised at all if this sensor could produce clean images at 12500 or even 25000.

Anyway, basically I'm on your side, but It's just that we sometimes expect too much and forget to enjoy and get excited by the marvels we already have. We hold in our hands technologies that just a decade ago would have seemed astonishing or even unobtainable.

No price info yet?I feel that many people will miss the 1.3 crop sensor. They could well have made it dual, full frame and an option for cropped operation with the touch of a button, then it would really be the successor of both EOS 1Ds and EOS 1D line.

this is not a new 1D4 + 1Ds3. it's effectively 1D5 to compete with future D4. maybe 5D3 will replace 5D2 + 1Ds3, with over 40MPs to power play 645D. there should be no problem we go 100 or hundreds of MPs.

there is almost no (little) compromise of image quality when we go more pixels. the most affected is speed ... or image quality at the same speed. that's why Canon chose 18MP, for sports.

image quality is not the same thing as pixel quality. though things are complicated, you can think image_quality = pixel_quality * number_of_pixels.

I know it's always been in vogue to say 'you don't need higher resolution', and complain about the megapixel war, but resolution has always mattered in photography.

When I shot film/trannies, I would occasionally use Scotchchrome 1000 for it's golfball grain, or push the hell out of Tri-X for the same reason. I would sometimes choose Velvia because it was smooth, detailed, with extremely fine grain.

With digital I can't just choose a different sensor - I'm forever stuck with the one that comes in the camera. More pixels gives me more choices. I can reduce quality, add noise, but I can't do the reverse in any meaningful way.

It's not all that long ago that people were saying that 5 MP was enough for anyone, then 8, then 10, and so on. I loved the images on my 1D, but I wouldn't trade my 1D4 for it - I enjoy the extra 12 MP.

Of course noise has to be managed too, and high ISO is welcome, but I'd trade some of the high ISO capability for a spec. that includes an extra 20-30 MP.

What do you shoot and at what resolution do you print that you need so many MP to slow down your workflow? I make very few hard copies, and the ones I make up to 20"x30" look acceptable with my 4.1 MP D2hs. I can't imagine needing more than ~ 12 MP, unless your output is huge. IMHO, lower pixel density = better high ISO = better photos.

Medium format is not a good answer to wanting more megapixels (MP). It requires much higher f/stop, and therefore, light, to get the same depth of field, making it inappropriate for many uses. Switching formats also requires a significant investment in camera and lenses. Megapixels are useful if the IQ is there, and a few cameras have proven that one can have high MP in the 35mm format DSLRs and still have good IQ at the expense of FPS, diffraction at f/8 and above, and a little high-end ISO, primarily.

In my opinion, Nikon and Canon's pro glass offerings are much the same as each other: a great balance of IQ, speed, build quality and price. For me, Canon just has the edge - the lenses that make sense for my kit are, on average, marginally better from the Canon range, and it's what I use most. For others, it may be a different story. Glass isn't the reason to choose between Canon or Nikon though.

TBH, I don't think the leapfrogging of body features is a reason to choose either - first one, then the other has the edge.

Nikon has better flash capabilities for certain. Personally, I consider using flash a last resort (I don't refer to studio flash here), so for me, that also isn't a reason to choose.

I use Canon most because it feels more comfortable for me to use; fits my hand better. It 'disappears' more readily for me, so I can just concentrate on taking photos.

I'd love some additional features and I've already whined about them, but the glass is good.

Nikon 24-70/2.8 is certainly better than the Canon one, especially at the tele-end. but Canon 70-200/2.8LIS2 provides better image quality than VR2 (I personally would rather prefer a lens that can go wider at close range, especially if I have zoom micro in my bag). so it really depends.

Chuck Westfall did not go into too much technical detail on the sensor. 18mpx may not seem enough for some, but what if, a big IF, Canon pulls something like a layered sensor - a la Foveon? Not very likely, but 18mpx like that, great ISO performance, and speed in one package, the 1Dx would be hard to beat!

I totally understand people who are excited with the added speed and higher ISO, and I agree that the higher pixel count is not everything, but there must also be room to criticise the higher frame rate. Do we all need that? The real pros are ruled by their needs anyway, but this type of 50,000 frames a second camera is likely to turn its owners into shoot now and ask later type of photographers carrying a pretty ugly device. Pixel numbers do matter in my view. They allow a more detailed recording of the image not a faster one. We are not all journalists and many of us have minutes if not hours or days to consider what we are shooting. So I hope canon has a big one coming. 50,000 megapixels and one frame a day for me thanks.

Nice camera, good to see Canon rethinking it overal (metering, AF etc), but wow, replacing 1Ds line with a 18mp sensor ? Big fail here, I'm waiting at least 30mp and amazing IQ at low iso, don't care about speed. Sure won't replace my 1DsII with 1DX. I do slow shot, tripod, low iso, large fine art print, no need for low res machine gun. If a 1DsX around 30mp don't come soon, I think it will be time to go to the other side, D800 seems appealing even if I largely prefer a big monobloc body like 1D for vertical shooting and general feeling in hand. 5D body size don't really appeal me, maybe D4x then ? 1DX make me starting to look ar Nikon lenses, even if it's a damn good camera for sport/bif shooters.

Wow finally ,they get it, I would love to see anyone post real faxes on the resolving ability on any 35mm lens .I think the very best Canon or Nikon lens will resolve 119 line per mm ,so about 10 mp ,if you want to interpolate use photoshop, it will do a great job.Im a Canon user and I was about to go to Nikon because they make better cents at 12mp, good on ya Nikon ...

Sigh. So you think that the results from a 1D4 (16MP) and 1D3 (10MP) are pretty much the same then? I've shot with both. The 1D3 can't hold a candle to the 1D4.

Photoshop interpolation is NOT a replacement for higher resolution sensors. Suggest you try it. You can even do it off the same camera - take a small JPEG, and a full size one with the next frame. Increase the size of the small one in PS. Now compare the two. See? No? Make it simple then. Try with a 10 by 10 pixel image interpolated to 16 by 16, compared to a 16 by 16 original. The results are more obvious here, and the same thing happens with higher resolution.

I agree resolution isn't the only factor, but it is a factor, and a fairly important one. So long as the pixel quality is high, I'll take more megapixels please.

5D2 is a case in point here though. Higher resolution than the 1D4 by some margin, but lower IQ. I want my cake and eat it too. Lots of pixels, high quality, and lose the shutter speed.

I have tested this number. I checked a 70-200 IS Mk 2 using a 7D. Pointing it at the stars, the lens resolved to single pixels in red and green. There was some chromatic aberration present in the blue channel, but it was still very good. Since the 7D pixels are (iirc) 4.3 microns, it could be argued that the lens was operating at around 115 lp/mm. My experiments with a 135L yielded very similar results.

There is however quite a lot of space at the top - a truly diffraction limited f/2.8 lens should be able to reach 585 lp/mm in green light.... assuming you could live with the absurdly thin DoF.

>I think the very best Canon or Nikon lens will resolve 119 line per mm ,so about 10 mp

I hope I am reading this wrong. The 24TSEII (to pick an example) resolves over 45MP worth over the FF image circle. How do I know? Stitching with my 18MP APS-C camera lets me see some of the FF potential, and this is still sharp at the pixel level. Telephoto lenses are better still...

CF was never lost, there was the addition of an SD card in the 1D series on the 1D2 if memory serves. This annoyed me.

Much better to be allowed to use a second CF at the same time, with higher capacity, faster write speeds, and you need only buy one memory card format.

Wifi (and now GPS) adapters remain as unfortunate, clunky add ons. This is the biggest annoyance with this series of cameras. wifi and gps should be built-in - like they manage to do with their compacts.

They need to test this yet a lot if they going to release it for 5 months. I'm Nikon fan and user but Canon deserve to have decent rival camera after Nikon released my D3 before ~4 years.This is camera which 1D mark IV should be. :)And if they going to release this for 5 months noone will buy any 1D series till April from any shop after this news, I think that's some kind of "fail" moment but OK, there is some good news for people who was thinking to replace Canon for Nikon completely... they can still wait this few months and be happy for 6800 bucks ;)

Coming from a D700 user, I really like this camera. I am glad Canon is making a product that makes sense to me: full-frame,and reasonable resolution (MP). I chose Nikon because I choose high ISO performance and auto focus speed and accuracy over MP anytime. I can't wait to see the ISO results from this camera :) And I can't wait to see what Nikon has in store--let the competition begin! :)

The only two things I kind of don't like about this camera is that the buttons seem too small (or is it just me?). May be they look small to me because the camera is big, I don't know. Also, the camera isn't that pretty--reminds me of the Porsche Panamera!--it's just not sleek looking. But again, "pretty" is not on my list of what I am looking for in a camera :)

AS I posted in reply to another comment below, the English Canon press release says:

The EOS-1D X offers a carefully revised version of the classic EOS-1 series design, with larger, more tactile buttons that make it easier for users to control settings – even in extreme conditions where gloves are required.

Nikon also make high MP cameras actually. So do Leica and Hasselblad - their cameras are also held in high regard, and not criticised for offering higher performance.

'Also, the camera isn't that pretty--reminds me of the Porsche Panamera!--it's just not sleek looking. But again, "pretty" is not on my list of what I am looking for in a camera :)'

--And yet you mention it? Personally I think ergonomics matter, appearance not so much. I find a 1D more comfortable than Nikons - maybe try one for a week or so and you might find the same, or maybe you'll still prefer the Nikon. Comfort's important, I think.

I think this is an impressive spec. camera, but still fails in a couple of areas where it didn't need to. I'm not going to buy one.

I haven't been able to find out how much this camera weighs. Will it set a new record for a 35mm dslr? Now, how about trying to make a digital slr (for those who want a 35mm sensor but don't want high speed motor drives) that is no bigger and heavier than the film slrs of the 1970's or 1980's?

Every camera has some issue with mirror slap - it's why there's a mirror-lockup facility. I've only used rapid fire at sports events which I don't do very often, and I confess I haven't seen a problem with it. I have seen issues with the AF not continuing to follow a subject accurately when rapid firing, and this certainly can cause some focus issues - could this be what you're experiencing?

If I'm shooting macro I use the mirror lockup feature, or for sure, it would cause sufficient vibration to cause a little blur.

I do think the mirror should be quieter though. Much quieter. Nature subjects can be disturbed by it from some distance, even using the 'quiet' mode. Using macro in the wild, I rarely get more than one shot of a flying insect before the camera noise scares it off.

Good for Canon!But I'm a bit worried/disappointed about the small area the focus points cover. They're cramped into the center of the frame, very limiting our composition options to a centralized subject.Me not like...:-(

If your subject is the torso yes, but I like to focus on people's heads, and they are not located at the center of a typical frame. I really dont understand this design feature. It is handicapping an otherwise great tool.

The illustration in the other article may be deceiving on it's relation to the edges. But if not I know I usually set my AF to use center, half press, compose then finish. Except when on the tripod of course. But the layout seems to cover the two "thirds" that you need for composition... We'll see, I want to see this one in action and with people using it in the real world, it looks promising, but only time will tell.

Reading the articles so far, it appears Canon is claiming the new sensor is allowing for less noise, it has a 6.95 pixil size, which is the largest yet according to what I read, and the article claimed that it made for less noise. Long and short they said you will be getting more Mpx at less noise (We'll have to wait and see if that is really true).

If we view this from another perspective, we can see that as a subsidiary in the photographic world, that what Sony are currently chasing are marketing facets that will appeal to the ignorant consumer. In the market segment where the a77 / a65 are being sold, this is the case; Canon / Nikon sells by their names and Sony are required to attract appropriate attention (in this case using a big number followed by 'mega pixels.' To the contrary, a professional will not be directly deterred from his cause in the segment where $7800 cameras are sold. He / she is aware of the requirements equipment wise that are necessary to complete their task. Please do excuse my English and discrepancies in my knowledge :).

Sorry to disagree, but more pixels do create more noise. The pixel density on many sensors is starting to cause noise on the quantum level; noise is generated when the electrons striking the sensor are deflected by interference from adjacent pixel site's magnetic field. This effect increases as the sensitivity (ISO) is increased, which requires more power and more quantum inteference at each pixel site. Bigger pixels mean the chances of electrons arriving unmolested is greatly increased, so image accuracy is increased, and noise (quantum interference) is reduced.

Manufacturers are going to have to eventually increase sensor size to get Nikon's 12mp quality at 32mp resolutions, until materials technology changes the physical properties of the sensor altogether.

All that said, I get fantastic prints all the way up to 20x30 with my 7D noisemaker. We spend far too much time criticizing magnified screen images, when good prints from quality compositions are what makes $$$.

And all of that in a robust body (better than 5D MKII) -> nice for shooting movies in bad conditions.There is absolutely NO contender. This is really a beast for video shooting. The only major drawback (speaking for myself) is... the price... even though....

You say that 18MP is enough for anyone, and then say if it's not, buy a differnet camera that already has a higher resolution. Isn't that a contradiction?

And no, I wouldn't call it a jewel or a beast for video. Certainly it's better than the existing half-assed implementation of video on the 1D4 that's awkward to use.

Video has been shown to be important to the customer base - even a number of TV shows have now been shot on Canon SLRs, and I really like the way these shows look. The profusion of video-dedicated accessories for these SLRs may be a more telling indicator. I occasionally tinker with video just because it's there, and for me it's a nice to have feature on an SLR - a factor to consider if you can't choose between one model and another after comparing all their stills features, but I understand that it means more to others.

I don't think that movie makers would often choose an SLR over a dedicated video camera though.

Yeah, Anthony Bordain's No Reservations uses 7Ds, and I like the look.

I see that video focussing issues were omitted from the conversation completely. Hmmm.

DSLRs may not crack major networks, but the quality/price point has opened up video to the masses that lack the $100k spare bank to get into film "seriously." I think we'll be seeing new creative geniuses emerge that may have been marginalized in the past...

As a Nikon user wanting to go pro, I hope Nikon doesn't announce a 36 MP sensor to compete with this camera's 6 digit ISO.Congratulations to Canon for stopping the megapixel race (and starting the ISO race, which sounds more useful).

Years ago Nikon stopped the MP race with the D3 and also won the high ISO race.

It's possible that this new Canon will best the Nikon D3s, but that Nikon has been out for more than two years, so don't pretend--without examples--that this Canon brings a new standard to high ISO work.

Just look at the lies (yes lies) Sony told about the A77's performance at ISO 6400.

You are right. They did release the D3s almost 1 year after the D3x so it's Nikon who took the first step in the high ISO race instead of more MP.I still want to congratulate Canon. With your help I understand that it's not for starting to care more about ISO instead of MP but for... following Nikon.What if the rumors are true and Nikon announces a 36 MP D800 or D4?

BTW, what about the A77? In my opinion it does a great job at ISO 6400 for a DX camera. It's not like the D7000 but that's a Nikon and it benefits from 33% less resolution so one would expect much better results anyway.

You guys heard of the Canon 1D4? Released over a year ago? Similar market to the D3S? Comparable high ISO capability to the Nikon D3S? The Nikon had the edge here I think, but you can hardly claim the 1DXrepresents a massive change in direction in terms of high ISO support as a response to the D3S - both manufacturers were moving in the same direction, probably due to price vs. technology limitations in other areas, they chose another feature to squabble over. They pretty much always do, don't they? Competition is good for the consumer, so long may it continue.

The drop of 4 MP makes now a difference of 6MP with the Nikon D3 and the Sony camera.Especially in the advanced stock photography and for those photographers making large prints, the pixel count is very important.With this new Canon camera we can shoot very fast pictures that we can't sell (stock) or can't print large enough.

I don't think 1Dx was ever intended strictly for studio. It's an all-around camera for pro shooter. However, even for stock, I can't see the reason for 18 mpix beeing too small. You can print A3 at 300 dpi with that for Christ sake! We use 5Dmk2's for our business, and I honestly can't remember when was the last time anyone used our photo for 300dpi print larger then that. Counting that the upscaling claims hold true, I really don't see a problem with resolution.

I want a lot more than 6MP to be added, but I like the high ISO, better pixel quality.

I hope this doesn't mean we've lost the option of a much higher resolution, low frame rate camera in the Canon range though. I liked the 1Ds series, and think there's still a place for it. I hardly ever shoot at the 1D4 max speed (usually one shot actually), so I'd be very happy to see resolution win over shutter speed.

> By Drazen Stojcic Buntovnik > ... However, even for stock, I can't see the reason for 18 mpix beeing too small.

On Fotolia for example the XXL size is 15Mpx and it sells for the highest price. If I have 18Mpx it is less likely that the final image will be cropped to less than 15Mpx - loss of income for stock shooters. And not only from the price difference. I suspect that a buyer is more likely to by a smaller version of XXL image or buy from a person who offer XXL images.

The drop in resolution is very encouraging. I don't know that we could really call Canon courageous since, after all, most pro shooters know that it's not all about megapixels, but they are certainly more trusting of the intelligence of their photographers than Sony and the A77's 24MP.

I very much want to know more about that dynamic range which could be very useful to me.

I have owned a 1 D MK 11 111 and i now own the IV but unless the price drops a lot i cant see me buying one of these. £5299 is just two much, i know it will come down to around £4500 but thats still around £1000 more than the IV which is a dam fine camera. I dont think canon realise that there a lot of full time pro's like me who will be forced to turn there backs on the 1 series. I know a lot of pro's who use the MK IV but none that use the 1 DS MK111 why? price and this new 1dx is 1DS MKIII price.

why do people keep saying there is now only one 1D series camera? All the announcement is saying is that they got the best of both the 1D IV and 1Ds III to make the 1D X. The FF from the 1Ds III and the speed from the 1D IV. I wager there will still be a successor to the 1Ds III which would probably be 36 MP+ while the 5D III might be lesser specified to differentiate the two. Could Canon come out with 3 FF sensors?

But I call that good marketing. No reason not to think they won't launch a new high MP camera next year. They are just trying to get more users to buy this camera now, and then also the real 1Ds3 replacement. If you owned a 1Ds3, would you buy this camera if you didn't have $6800 laying around?

I can live without the poorer resolution and increased distortion found at the edges of most 35mm format lenses.

I've heard many wedding photographers make smug comments about how their FF 5D2 is so superior to my APS-H 1D4. When you match photos taken side by side with both cameras, they tend to quieten down somewhat whilst their cheeks flush.

From the UK Canon press release:The EOS-1D X offers a carefully revised version of the classic EOS-1 series design, with larger, more tactile buttons that make it easier for users to control settings – even in extreme conditions where gloves are required.

I find this new model more curious than exciting. I think sports shooters will be thrilled. Wedding photogs with strong biceps will be too. It will be interesting to see just what is gained in image quality and low light capability given the loss in resolution. Speaking only for myself, resolution is not just important for print size; it's also important for cropping.

It will be equally interesting to see how this fares compared to Nikon's upcoming D4. I don't think you can grade Canon without taking into account what Nikon is able to do with their next iteration of the D series.

My biggest disappointment is the lack of built in radio-controlled flash system. This was the number one capability I was waiting for. Canon patented a system a year and a half ago and they've filed additional patents since. This seems like such an obvious game-changing feature. Unless it debuts in a 5D III or a new high end body, it's likely to be a long wait before another opportunity comes around.

Despite being proud of the speed Sony seems to be more powerful with already available product, and for such a machine the 1Dx 60fps option is missing for Full HD? Already today, long time ahead with the production, little bit underspecced?

By killing the APS-H, which had an inherent area handicap corresponding to -¾ EV relative to 135-format, this camera automatically gets a better S/N ratio than the previous 1D MkIV. But also being a later generation of the sensor technology should bode well for further increase in DR. How good in comparison with other competitors, DxOMark is one source to tell...

For economy of scale, you want to proliferate your sensor to other usage. Maybe this is the sensor we'll see in a future mirrorless camera from Canon?

Starting October 1st, Getty Images will no longer accept images in which the models have been Photoshopped to "look thinner or larger." The change was made due to a French law that requires disclosure of such images.

A court ruling our of Newton, Massachusetts has set an important legal precedent for drone pilots: federal drone laws will now trump local drone regulations in situations where the two are in conflict.

macOS High Sierra came out today, but if you use a Wacom tablet you need to wait a few weeks before you upgrade. According to Wacom, they won't have a compatible driver ready for you until "late October."

Vitec, the company that owns popular accessory maker Manfrotto, has just acquired JOBY and Lowepro for a cool $10.3 million in cash. The acquisition adds JOBY and Lowepro to Vitec's already sizable collection of camera gear brands.

A veteran photojournalist, Rick Wilking secured a spot in the path of totality for the August solar eclipse. While things didn't quite pan out as predicted, an unexpected subject in the sky and a quick reaction made for a once-in-a-lifetime shot.